Ranger Rick and His City Girl
by embyerins
Summary: The gang plans a movie night, but Farkle stays home sick and Maya leaves for an art show with Uncle Shawn and her mom. This makes for an interesting night for nervous Riley and Lucas watching a horror film alone (surveilled by her crazy parents, of course). When Auggie, out with Uncle Josh, has a scary accident, Lucas proves that he'll always be there for Riley when she needs him.


Hi, guys! My name is Emby and I am, admittedly, a 19-year-old fan of Girl Meets World. I ship Rucas and Maya with both Josh and Farkle. I know the whole point of fanfiction is the freedom to imagine characters in all different kinds of situations, but I always find myself wishing there were more Rucas fanfics about them in situations similar to the show because there are never enough episodes to keep me satisfied! So here's a short Rucas fanfic to start off, but please give me any ideas for more if you like it!

I'm new to posting, so I believe I have to say that I don't own any rights to Girl Meets World or any of its characters, etc.

"Maya, what do you _mean_ you can't stay?" Riley asked, eyes bulging.

"I'm sorry, Riles," Maya replied from her usual spot of Riley's windowsill, "but Shawn asking my mom and me to come to this art show with him is, like, huge. I have to go!"

"But…but Farkle is home sick. And Lucas is already on his way over. Which means that the four of us watching a movie is now…the two of us watching a movie, which is…"

"The adventures of Ranger Rick and his leading lady!" Maya joked. "But seriously, Riles, do you think I would leave you alone, even if it meant missing a night with Shawn and my mom, if I thought this was a bad idea?"

Riley considered that. "No. But what if he's all," Riley imitated Lucas winking at her, "and I'm all," she giggled nervously, flailed her arms, and fell off her seat. Suddenly her bedroom door burst opened and father ran in. "And what if my dad's all like _that_!"

"I was just going to tell you that Auggie left," Cory said innocently. "He's went to the movies with Uncle Josh. Speaking of which, shouldn't your friends be here soon?

"Maya," Riley said nervously.

"I'll tell him," Maya said.

"Tell me what?" Cory asked.

"Mr. Matthews, there comes a time in every father's life when his daughter's plans to watch a movie with friends turns into plans to watch a movie with _a_ friend."

"The boys aren't coming?"

"Oh, one boy is coming," Maya smiled mischievously as she climbed out the window. "And one girl is leaving. See ya, Matthews! Have fun, Riles."

Riley grabbed Maya's foot and yanked her back in the room just as Cory screamed, "TOPANGA!" She burst in the room and looked at Cory to explain.

"Four friends watching one movie is now one friend watching one movie with one other friend but that one other friend is a _BOY!"_

"Okay, I'm usually good with translating him but I'm lost. Spill it," Topanga said to the girls.

"Farkle is home sick," Riley explained with a shaking voice, "and Maya just got invited to go to an art show with Uncle Shawn and her mom. And Lucas is already on his way, so…"

Topanga smiled. "So it's just you and Lucas for the night, I get it. Look, Cory, they're going to be watching a movie in our brightly lit living room—the lights _will_ stay bright, Riley—right in our own home while we're just one room away—we _will_ stay in the other room, Cory. There's nothing wrong with that. She and Lucas are just friends!"

"So he can still come over?" Riley asked. When Topanga nodded, she burst out, "YAAYYY!"

The doorbell rang. "Your cowboy is here," Maya smiled as she backed out the window. Riley fell over, again. It would be a long night.

"Hi, Lucas," Riley mumbled as she opened the door to the tall, green-eyed, handsome boy.

"Hey, Riles," he smiled. "Uh, can I come in?"

Riley laughed and backed away; she had been blocking the doorframe.

"Where's Maya?" he asked.

"So, funny story…" Riley began. "Maya got invited to an art show with her mom and my Uncle Shawn, so she's not coming…"

"…and Farkle is home sick…so it's just the two of us?" Lucas asked. Riley couldn't help but notice a little smile appeared on his face when she nodded. "Huh. Just the two of us. I kind of like the way that sounds, City Girl. Should we pop this movie in?"

Speechless, Riley stuck the DVD into the player. She was hoping Lucas would've already sat down so she didn't have to figure out where to sit by herself, but being the gentleman that he was, he waited for her. In a panic, she sat on the small seat all the way near the edge of the kitchen. Lucas sat on the middle of the couch in front of the TV.

"Um, Riley, can you even see the TV from over there?"

She shook her head.

"D-do you maybe want to move over here where you can see?"

"Where I can see," Riley repeated as she got up. This time she sat down stiffly on the arm of the couch. Lucas gave her an appraised look.

"Comfy?" he asked.

"No," she admitted. "Maybe I could move over just a little bit more…" She finally sat next to Lucas and couldn't help but notice that the sides of their bodies were pressed together. She took a deep breath and was just about to tell herself this was totally fine, that she could sit this close to Farkle without being weird, so she should just calm down, when—

"Popcorn?" Cory asked so suddenly from behind the couch, wedging a bowl between Riley and Lucas, that they both jumped apart and screamed.

"Cory!" Topanga scolded. She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away.

"Sorry about that," Riley blushed.

"Don't be sorry," Lucas said. "I don't blame him. If some strange cowboy sat on a couch with my pretty daughter, I'd be a little overprotective, too."

"Oh," Riley smiled.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the movie. It was Maya's turn to pick a movie that week, so of course it was a scary thriller. Riley didn't handle scary too well. Her heart was thumping in her chest as the music sped up while characters opened doors, windows, and old creaky cupboards. She knew she should've seen it coming, but when the haunted doll popped out of a wardrobe, Riley couldn't help but scream.

"You alright, Riles?" Lucas asked kindly, but with a big grin. "You're shaking."

"Stop laughing at me!" she smiled. "It's called a scary movie for a reason, okay?"

"Okay," he said, tone light, "but I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you when I'm around. No haunted dolls can get you when I'm here." He lifted up his arm and slung it around Riley's shoulders.

"Will you always be here?" she asked him.

"As long as you need me."

Now Riley's heart was thumping because of Lucas in addition to the movie. She couldn't help but bask in the feeling of his arm around her, or the fact that she could hear his heart beating in her ear since her head rested on his chest. And she really liked that his fingers were softly stroking her arm where they rested and absentmindedly twirling the ends of her hair.

"Oh, no," Riley whimpered as the movie neared its end. "Why is she going into the basement? She _knows_ the doll is in the basement. Why is she opening the cupboard? She knows the doll is in the cupboard. Oh, the doll is going to pop—wait, where's the doll?"

"The doll isn't in the cupboard," Lucas stated.

"How do you kn—AHH!" Riley screamed as the doll jumped out of the closet.

"Because," Lucas said, "everyone knows the doll is always in the closet. Are you okay, by the way?"

Riley had burrowed right into Lucas's warm chest, shaking from the movie. It didn't hurt that he kept a reassuring hand on her head, patting her hair, either. "You can come out, you know. There's still no haunted dolls here."

Riley slowly sat back up, but as she did, Lucas's hands slid and grabbed her face softly. He bit his lip nervously and leaned in almost imperceptibly closer, and then…the phone rang.

"Ignore that, please, my parents will get it," Riley whispered.

"Remember when we did the play and I said Farkle stole my moment? And then you kissed me and it was just…it was incredible, Riles, but that was _your_ moment. Well this," Lucas took a deep breath, "I think _this_ is my moment." He leaned in again, this time a little quicker.

But not quick enough.

"RILEY!" Topanga yelled as she ran in the room.

"Mom! I, we were just, it wasn't what it—"

"I am _so_ sorry, ma'am, I wasn't trying to, we just—"

" _What?_ Look, I'll pretend I don't know what you're talking about; I didn't see anything. Riley, honey, that was Uncle Josh on the phone. H-he and your brother stopped at a street vendor for some cookies on the way to the movie theater without checking the ingredients, and Auggie ate them inside the theater but it was dark so Josh couldn't see, and it turns out that there were peanuts in the cookies."

Riley's heart dropped. Auggie was seriously allergic to peanuts. Whenever he'd eat them he'd break out into a rash at first, so at least they had time to get his medicine, but if they let it go his airways would get blocked, and he could…

"Mom, is he—will he be okay?"

"Honey," Topanga took a deep breath, "we honestly don't know right now. Thankfully they went to the movie theater across from St. Pete's hospital so Josh ran him inside as soon as he noticed, but he was unconscious. Dad and I are going now to see him."

"I'm coming with you!" Riley exclaimed, standing.

Topanga shook her head. "I don't want you to see him like this, so please just stay here for now. Dad's on the phone with Mrs. Morganstern down the hall now to see if she can come stay with you so you're not alone."

"She'll be over in just a few minutes," Cory said as he entered the room.

"But—but I don't want to be with a stranger right now. And I'm not alone, anyway, Lucas is—"

"Going home," Cory said, "I'm sorry, honey, but you can't stay here alone with him. We'll walk you out, Mr. Friar. Riley, we'll call you as soon as we find anything out. We love you."

"I love you, too," Riley muttered. She gave Lucas one last sad look as he left, carted between her parents. She just wanted her Auggie back.

Mrs. Morganstern was nice, but she wasn't good at small talk and Riley wasn't in the mood to sit in silence. She was too old for a babysitter, and couldn't stop thinking about Auggie. She retreated to her room, wishing Maya's art show was closer than New Jersey so she could be here with her.

Riley paced back and forth for a while before settling on her windowsill, clutching a pillow. She gazed out at the skyline, staring at all of the pretty yellow lights. Then green lights flashed—

"Lucas?" she exclaimed, opening her window so he could climb inside.

"Look, Riley, I'm not trying to disrespect your parents, and if you're more comfortable I'll leave, but I promised you tonight that I'll be here if you need me. So I'm here, if you want me to be here."

Riley jumped up and wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around him. She instantly felt safer, like Lucas could protect her from the bad thoughts about Auggie. They sat on the windowsill snuggled together, Riley's hands in Lucas's.

"What are your favorite Auggie stories?" Lucas asked suddenly.

"What?"

"You know, what's the funniest thing he's ever done? When was the last time he made you smile? Maybe if you talk about him, it'll take your mind off of everything."

Riley smiled at Lucas, grateful for the distraction, and began to talk. She told him about the time Auggie stole her lipstick as a present to give his kindergarten teacher, and when she convinced him that monsters under his bed would be scared of him if he let her paint his nails. She talked for so long that she was surprised when her phone rang.

It was Topanga, and Auggie would be okay. The doctors gave him a breathing tube and it worked. Riley could've cried on the spot, and the word "okay" kept floating around her head. Okay, okay, okay, Auggie would be okay!

"He's fine," she said breathlessly, turning to Lucas. "He got some oxygen and he'll be okay. He'll be okay!"

"Riley!" he shouted, hugging her. "This is awesome! He'll be okay! He'll—" suddenly the grin ran off his face and he said in a lower, husky voice, "he'll be okay." He bit his lip just as he had earlier.

"He'll be okay," Riley whispered right before Lucas kissed her.

This kiss didn't last much longer than the one they'd shared in the subway, but that was just fine because it still made Riley's head swim. Lucas kissed her. Lucas had his moment.

Being the gentleman that he was, Lucas left after that. Plus, Riley realized, he probably would never be welcomed back again if her parents caught him sneaking out of her bedroom. She laid back on her bed with a grin on her face. Auggie would be okay. Lucas kissed her. Some moments dissipate just as they happen, but some stay with a person forever.


End file.
